A New Concept in Protection of Historical Buildings: Industry Cluster and Value Chain

Many industrial buildings will be abandoned and demolished in cities due to the structural transformation of the economy. Some of them, in terms of their physical lives, can be well used continuously, and have a symbolic value in their local communities. This paper aims to explore how to protect and reuse the old industrial buildings. The previous urban planning approach emphasized on the physical form of a city, rather than on the analysis of urban economy. As a result, some protected buildings were destroyed, considering development of local economy. By analyzing successful and unsuccessful cases on protecting historical buildings as viewed from industry development and value chain, this paper finds a new pathway satisfying both promotion of urban economy and protection of urban heritage. As far as abandoned industrial buildings is concerned, developing cultural and creative industries enable local government to gain a win-win between development and protection.